Bus ride from Cannought Place to Holland

Hippie at Heart

While talking to an old India hand few days ago I came across this reference about some direct bus service which use to ply, way back in 70’s from Regal cinema in Cannought Place to Holland. I am given the impression, they ply as late as 1972. The bus fair was given as $ 180. Considering the fact that how air travel must have been in those days or rather lack of it in India and how the political situations were around the world and rather peaceful times. This could be just true. So I am posting it to know more of this or perhaps something similar about long distance bus rides between Asia and Europe in past or present.

seventies'hippy

There used to be many buses plying between Europe & India, 'The Magic Bus'
was the most well known name & if I remember rightly that originated in Holland. Paris & London also had their own service.They all ran at least into the 80's, They meandered through europe calling in at Athens or wherever enroute initially to Istanbul, then Tehran & Kabul, you didn't have to go all the way to India in one go. People didn't go for a two three or four week vacation in those days, You just went,,,,,,,
Sadly it all started coming to an end with both the Iran & Afghan troubles Dragoman still do overland tours to/in various places around the world & according to their website you can still do an 'overland' to India though they have a 'Plan B' which involves a flight, depending on events at the time.
I don't know about prices, your $180 was probably about right, though if you made your own way independently it was a lot cheaper. Old converted buses, ambulances the old volkswagans etc with european number plates were a common site in all the popular places from kathmandu to manali & all the hill stations & down of course to Goa, Seeing perhaps upto 20 of these various vehicles parked on the top of vagator cliffs or the Anjuna headland over christmas wasn't unusual at all.

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bora

I've met a lady from Italy who had travelled by bus from Istanbul to Peshawar. According to her, the bus didn't have any seats and had mattresses instead, and people would smoke up all the way.

She told me that the guards at the Iran-Afghanistan border even offered them some hash as gifts, but they were too scared to accept!

Hippie at Heart

Thanks seventies hippy, even I was thinking on similar lines, it was more about the economic conditions in 70s and stable political governance en route. People had less disposable cash but lot of friendly cities on way where ever they went. Sadly things went worse and governance came in hand of religious fiends. Serves a reminder as well how short is the living memory of masses, in almost 30 year of such option available, today no one I knew as failed to even recall any such thing as The Magic Bus.

machadinha

I think there's still tour companies doing it; in the Sinai in the late nineties a tour bus pulled up that was en route from Western Europe to India and it seemed to be a common event. Their itinerary seemed a bit rushed to me but other than that it seemed like fun and they were camping and cooking together and stuff.

A search on overland + bus + india will lead to plenty of pointers, such as this one.

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brightspark

I personally do remember seeing notices of bus rides to Europe.. at $95 ( could have been one way.. I am not so sure now) in the 70s in Connaught Place.. and important thing to remember the US $ used to be around Rs. 7.50 -8 in those days.. $ started rising dramatically somewhat later..during the Reagan years. as a result of interest rates.

The buses stopped soon after the trouble started in Iran.. (when Ayatollah Khomeini took over and the Shah was deposed).I am not sure.. but there may have been intermittent troubles with India - Pak ..

These are as far as scheduled ticket bus services are concerned. However buses carrying groups did continue to come until much later.. and perhaps do continue to come even now. I remember seeing buses, with sleeperettes at the Imperial Hotel in Delhi, in the mid-80s.. Yes, groups coming in the buses sometimes used to stay at the Imperial or stop for a meal etc!

I am not sure, how much was the airfare during but may have been around Rs. 5,000-6,000 return.. I have bought tickets to London a few years later at around Rs. 8,000/-. I believe then it was cheaper to buy tickets in Europe than here.

So the bus fares were definitely much cheaper than air fares..were perhpas 1/3rd of so.

Also to put things in perspective.. the fares, particularly airfares were more expensive then, than now.. both if looked at in dollar terms, or in terms of average salary levels in India.

seventies'hippy

Heres some Airfare prices from the 70's when I was repatriated a few times,,,

Bombay --- London. Feb 1974 INR 1810-00
Delhi --- London. June 1975 INR 2263-00 (UK £119-30)
Delhi --- London. July 1979 INR 3692-00

These were all single fares on BOAC & British Airways

On 6th June 1975 the exchange rate was Rs18.6116 to £1.

GoanCanuck

I remember the scene at Baga back in 1974 quite vividly. There were several minibuses, RV's and modified trucks with European number plates parked right on the beach with all the hippies staying in tents or inside their vehicles. Baga in those days was indeed a nudie beach.
This year I came across just one truck(3-5 ton) with European licence plates and that was just outside Panaji.

Alan D

I think we paid £100 in September 1966, food included, to go by bus from England through the Middle East to Kathmandu.

We had two buses - the first broke down in Baghdad and had to be left there.

The second one made it to Kabul, Afghanistan and got sold there as there was some problem with the India/Pakistan border crossing. I think the organisers actually lost on the deal and there was no money for refunds.

We took a local bus down the Kyber pass then a train to the Indian border, across north India and on to Kathmandu for Xmas 1966.

What a long strange trip it was!

And

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Dr Funkenstein

Sounds brilliant, Alan.

I'd love to have done something like that.

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-m2-

I noticed quite private 'overlanders' in Goa this past winter. Most were in smaller camper-vans and 4wd's (roof-top tents appear to be all the rage this year), but here's a picture of a throwback to the 'good old days' caught this winter and the following is a link to a gallery picture of an overland bus from 1969 which might be of interest:

http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/s...cat/500/page/5

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claurianta

It's still possible to do the overland route. Last year, I personally did on on public transport via Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, and in Iran I met a guy who had gone by minibus from Germany to India and back in 2003-2004.

cityMONK

exciting
wonderfull i have seen some documentry on discovery of busses plying on silk route.mainly in turkey and russia to euroupe.
is it possible for indians to travel in such buses today.
kindly sent some more details

OrangeStreet

Thats a 4 year old post my man. Seems like you did miss the bus.

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cityMONK

right but may be now after 5 years things have changed.
why not to explore the possibility.